Joined: 18 Oct 2004Posts: 1654Location: Within view of Elliot Bay, The Olympics and every ship in the Sound

Posted: Wed Nov 24, 2004 3:16 pm Post subject: Chocolate

I will follow Judy's lead and write about chocolate. What is your favorite recipe for chocolate?
My favorite way to eat chocolate is as a truffle. I love the cocoa I roll them in. I love the way they melt away as soon as you take a bite. I love the fact that when I serve them at parties my friends begin apologies to their signifigant others, for the truffle is all the lov'in they will need that night. I also love the fact that they are a great excuse to drink champagne.

Combine:
1/2 cup cream
3/4 stick unsalted butter at room temp

Bring to a boil and remove. Pour over 5oz. finely chopped chocolate and wisk well. You can add 2 Tbs liquor if you want, I usually don't. Cool 1 hour. Form and roll in cocoa powder, nuts or what ever you can dream up!_________________"It's watery....and yet there's a smack of ham."

I was making truffles last night for a family celebration the weekend after TDay. I use Alice Medrich's recipe which includes forming the ganache centers and freezing them (that's where I am starting this AM). Then they get dipped in melted chocolate and stay in the fridge until serving.

I'm going to try to roll my freshly dipped truffles too. Never done that before but when you're committed to messy why not go all the way? I flavored my ganache with three different liqueurs so I hope rolling them in different coatings will help keep clear which is which.

I haven't made these in years. I hope I remember some dipping technique but I *do* remember the first step is to take the phone off the hook so you don't accidentally try to answer it with a hand glopped to the wrist in melted chocolate.

since we are talking chocolate here, tempered or un-tempered chocolate for truffle dipping?

Interesting question! Alice Medrich specifically recommends untempered. You need to keep the truffles stored under refrigeration to prevent bloom. But she says they are much closer to melting temp untempered so you get the immediate rush of the straight chocolate followed by the smoother ganache. And they store well as long as two weeks. [Excuse me, I had to pick myself up from the floor after losing it at the thougth of truffles going uneaten for two weeks!]

Are you accomplished at tempering chocolate? I took a class. Enjoyed it thoroughly but I have *extremely* limited success with my tempering efforts. ...even tho I once popped for a tempering machine.

Joined: 08 Oct 2004Posts: 87Location: in the kitchen with a large bar of chocolate

Posted: Mon Dec 13, 2004 6:38 pm Post subject:

i have never dipped my truffles either, but, i was contemplating it.

i have not tried it myself, but, i am told that the chocolate tempering instructions on the schraffenberger website is easy and effective. www.scharffenberger.com their explanation about why you temper chocoalte is interesting. mmm... chocolate!_________________monkey

...i am told that the chocolate tempering instructions on the schraffenberger website is easy and effective. www.scharffenberger.com their explanation about why you temper chocoalte is interesting. mmm... chocolate!

Thanks. That sounds simple and direct enough. My particular problem is that I'm not nearly disciplined enough myself to watch melted chocolate and march it through all the required temperature changes. But, more than that, it's *keeping* it in temper while you work with bits of it that has always eluded me.

Joined: 18 Oct 2004Posts: 1654Location: Within view of Elliot Bay, The Olympics and every ship in the Sound

Posted: Mon Dec 20, 2004 4:12 pm Post subject:

Catlin, be careful with chocolate in the fridge it will bloom.

Monkey, I just made a holiday assortment of truffles, some in colored sugars, some in candy cane dust and I also dipped some! I was feeling lazy and did not temper, but I think the next batch I will. I love chocolate!_________________"It's watery....and yet there's a smack of ham."

my partner, kevin and my housemate, david and i decided to make chocolates and other candied as gift for our buddies this year, and it was a blast. we emptied out piggybanks (no, seriously) and came out with enough money to by 7 beautiful bars of green & black's organic 70%, plus various toppings and other yummy things.

David made some amazing carmels studded with toasted hazelnuts-- they melt the moment they touch you tongue, and i (inspired by the entry on c&z) made mendiats, which i topped with a variety of goodies including toasted almond slivered, candied ginger, dried mango, dried papaya, sea salt, cardamom, granola, coconut, earl grey tea and freshly grated cinnamon stick. they came out really yummy-- the tea, cinnamon, mano and ginger were favorites.

finally, kevin and i made almond truffles: homemade almost paste mixed with freshly grated cinnamon stick, dipped in chocolate and topped with another sprinkle of cinnamon. def the prettiest of the treats and SO yummy. i'm going to make them with pistachio paste soon.